Do You Want to Play the Glad Game?

Are you a Pollyanna? I am.

Pollyanna is a character of a classic children’s book by Eleanor H. Porter. She is continually playing the “glad game.” In this game she faces every circumstance with the belief that there must be something to be glad about if you look long enough. In the story, the adults get annoyed with her constantly optimistic view of life. In fact, that annoyance continues today. The dictionary actually has a definition for a Pollyanna.

Pollyanna: an excessively or blindly optimistic person. To be unreasonably or illogically optimistic.

But I think she had it right. One of the quotes from the book says, ” if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it SOME.” Now I have never counted to see if she was right about there being eight hundred verses telling us to be glad. But do we really need that many?

Here are a few that should confirm His desire for us to be glad.

Psalm 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

Psalm 90:14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalm 104:34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.

So, I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind in the least if I am called a Pollyanna. In these days that we are living, it is so easy to get discouraged. Reading the news, hearing what others are struggling with on a daily basis, how can we possibly be glad? It certainly looks excessive or unreasonable, even illogical to think that we could be glad in the midst of what is going on around us every day. But God says we are to be glad. Why?

Because God is still on His throne.

Psalm 92:4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.